BACKGROUND: The aim of this paper was to study long-term survival in patients treated in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and who survived to hospital discharge.METHODS: This was a single-center retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to a mixed intensivist-led 10 bed ICU in a teaching hospital between 2004 and 2009 and discharged alive from the hospital with complete follow-up until January 1, 2011.RESULTS: A total of 3477 individual patients were admitted to the ICU, 491 (14.1%) of whom died in the hospital while 2986 survived to hospital discharge. In the first year after discharge 436 out of 2986 (14.6%) patients died. Mortality after hospital discharge was highest in the first three months. For patients discharged alive from the hospital the risk of dying during the first year increased significantly with age, APACHE II score at admission and being discharged to a place other than home. Sepsis on ICU admission, mechanical ventilation, renal replacement therapy during ICU treatment or admission type had no effect on one-year mortality rate.CONCLUSION: Patients who survive ICU treatment have a high risk of dying during the next year. This risk is almost as great the risk of dying during ICU and hospital treatment and increases with age and illness severity on admission to the ICU.